How the NHRA Works

­The National Hot Rod Association bills itself as the largest and the loudest auto racing organization in the world. Since its first year, the NHRA has been dedicated to hot rod safety, education and sport promotion. In the 50 plus years of its existence, the association has grown to include more than 35,000 hot rod competitors [source: NHRA].

International and National Motorsports Hall of Famer Wallace Gordon "Wally" Parks founded the NHRA to get dragsters off the streets and onto safer legal race strips by creating and enforcing rules and standards. The creation of the NHRA helped the sport gain a legitimacy that street racing could not.

The NHRA has programs for all levels of racers:

NHRA Drags: Street Legal Style -- grudge-style racing, one of the most popular programs

Summit Racing Series -- local-track racing for different types of vehicles to compete against each other

NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series -- series with eight categories of competition in national and divisional events

NHRA Full Throttle Series -- professional drag-racing series with payouts that total more than $3 million

Jr. Drag Racing League -- group specifically for kids ages eight to 17. Kids race half-scale dragsters in a controlled environment on NHRA member tracks around the country

­Becoming an NHRA member is open to any person interested in hot rod or drag racing. Next, you'll learn how to join and discover its many benefits.

Open-Pit Policy

Part of what makes the NHRA popular is its open-pit policy. This means that event attendees have behind-the-scenes access. Enthusiasts can watch pit crews rebuild engines, work on cars and interact with NHRA drivers [source: NHRA].